Masquerade
by Hollow Assassin
Summary: ONESHOT! One night in Eliv Thade's life that ended with two broken hearts. R&R please! You know you want to... I'm thinking of doing another set of oneshots in conjunction with this story, so keep an eye out.


**A/N: I was just goofing off and wanted to write a short story involving my favorite ghost, Eliv Thade. I've always wondered what it was like while he was alive, so I decided to write this fic about a masquerade he had attended. It's sort of a pointless thing with a hint of romance.**

**Oh, and also, I would greatly appreciate reviews. Constructive criticism can always help, so don't be shy! Writers like myself live off of it.**

**Disclaimer: Hmmm… The word "disclaimer" pretty much explains itself, don't you think?**

**The Masquerade**

The night was cold, and a soft breeze blew through the branches of the trees, whose branches were painted a glistening silver color by the light of the full moon. Autumn leaves were blown through the air, twisting and circling as though they were doing a magical dance. A mid-night black carriage drawn by two white Unis made its way down the cobble stone street. The Uni's pace was at a slight canter, their hooves only lightly touching the cold stone road before being drawn up once more. The driver, sitting straight and tall, cracked his whip and the Unis moved faster in reply. One's eyes glanced back at the driver.

"You don't have to do that, you know," she said. Returning her attention back to the road.

"I'll do it all I want, thanks very much," the Lupe replied. "If you'd move faster, maybe I wouldn't use it at all."

"Whatever."

The ride continued to go on smoothly. Inside the cabin, sat a swamp green Kacheek. His attire was rather proper, like that of an Englishman in the 1870's. His jacket was red with gold lining, and his pants were as black as night, as was his hair. He stared out the window at the passing scenery with an uninterested look upon his face. His black hair blew gently in the breeze as he watched the large mansions pass by. His eyes flicked from the window to the half mask he held in his hands. _This will probably be the most boring party I've ever been to, _he thought. _What a waste of my time._

The carriage came to a halt, and the driver climbed down from his seat and opened the carriage door for his master. The Kacheek emerged without even glancing at his humble servant. People garbed in costumes and adorning masks of all different sorts were entering a large, marble mansion, and the Kacheek sighed before turning to the Lupe.

"Pick me up in an hour," he said.

"Yes, sir," the driver replied, closing the cabin door and nimbly hopped back up onto his seat.

As the carriage drove off into the night, the Kacheek placed his mask onto his face and walked up the pathway into the glorious manor. He managed to spot a familiar Royal Usul and smirked. His arch rival. Maybe this would be fun after all.

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Vyry Dawson, a beautiful Acara, sighed heavily and looked up at her escort. The Royal Usul stood proudly, his black mask like that of a raccoon. He returned her gaze, a mischievous grin creeping onto his features.

"Guess who's just arrived," he said, pointing at a green Kacheek who quickly looked away and quickened his pace.

Vyry took in a sharp breath of air. "Oh, yes. Him," she said, a little shakily. She blushed a little. She'd met the Kacheek once, and she thought of him as quite handsome, but he and her escort, Arthur, never really got along. In fact, they hated each other. She could never figure out why. Even though her heart skipped a beat just seeing the Kacheek, she knew only trouble would come of it.

"Is that all?" Arthur teased. "Just, 'Oh, yes. Him'?"

Vyry cast a glare at him before saying, "No, that's not all." Then she turned to him fully and looked him square in the eye. She raised a gloved hand and jabbed him in the chest. "I want you to behave yourself the whole time we're here. The last time you and Thade went at it, you ended up with a headache and a hurt ego."

"Those anagrams were harder than they looked," Arthur retorted.

"Yes, well, this is supposed to be a good night. Don't ruin it!"

"Okay, okay!"

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Eliv entered the large hall, and took in the marvelous décor. Tapestries hung from the marble walls, and beautiful chandeliers lit up the entire manor.

Meh. He liked his castle better.

He was startled when someone slapped him on the back, but her recovered quickly when he noticed who it was. "Ah! I would never forget a face. Hunter was it?" he greeted, plastering a forced smile onto his lips.

"Arthur, actually," the Royal Usul stated, also with a rather fake grin.

"Oh, right, right." Then he caught Vyry's gaze, and he felt his breath leave him. They stared at each other for a minute or two, but Arthur coughed irritably, catching both there attention.

"Sorry," Eliv breathed, shaking his head as if ridding himself from a trance. He glanced at Vyry. "If you'll excuse me for a moment," he said, with a light bow. He quickly disappeared into the throng of other masqueraders.

"Humph!" Arthur muttered. "Just like him. Here one moment, and then he's gone the next."

Vyry said nothing.

"You want something to drink, my dear?" Arthur asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, Strawberry Wine, please," the Acara replied.

The Royal Usul smiled and nodded before walking away. Soon, after, the music started up, and so did the dancing. Vyry was soon lost in a swirl of waltzing couples. She looked around for the elusive anagram genius, but could not find him amongst the throng of dancing individuals. She frowned disappointedly, turned around, and very nearly bumped into the very person she was looking for.

"Eliv!" she gasped before regaining her composure. "What are you doing here?" she whispered furiously.

"I had an invitation," Eliv replied. "I can attend if I want."

"But that's just it--- you _wouldn't_ want to," Vyry hissed. "What's the real reason you're here?"

The Kacheek opened his mouth to reply, but a Gelert bumped into him and growled, "Watch it!"

Eliv rolled his eyes in exasperation and then turned to Vyry, who was also frowning. He sighed and bowed slightly, and she did a curtsy. They began to dance to the music, but all the while they were whispering heatedly at one another.

"The only reason I came here was because I had nothing better to do," whispered Eliv.

"Oh, yes, and I assume you didn't have any of your _precious_ anagrams to solve, right?" There was sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"I needed a break."

"You? Eliv Thade, need a break? I don't think so."

"I have every right to be here," he stated frankly. "I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone else, thanks."

Vyry sighed and shook her head. "I'm just worried. You know how Arthur is, especially with you. He'll kill you if he gets mad enough."

"The brute," Eliv muttered darkly.

She hit him on the shoulder, making him wince and look at her. "I'm serious!" she hissed. "He hates you enough already! I don't want him- or you- to do anything stupid."

He was smiling now.

"Oh, really? Well, that's just dandy, coming from the girl who stuck her head in the Symole Hole when we were younger…"

She hit him again and he laughed.

"Shut up! That was an accident, anyway."

"Truly? I remember it being quite intentional…"

"I said shut up!"

Eliv chuckled. Then he asked, "Why are you here, Miss Dawson? From what I remember, you never liked attending parties," in an attempt to switch the original question on her.

Vyry brought herself up to her full measure and looked him straight in the eye. "It'll be _Mrs. Harrington_, soon," she said, watching for the Kacheek's reaction. When he just stared at her blankly, she continued. "And the reason I came is because Arthur and I are going to announce our engagement to everyone tonight."

The song ended and Eliv stepped away from her abruptly. "Congratulations," he said, although there was no warmth in his tone. "The very best of luck to you both."

Vyry suppressed a shiver as his cold gaze pierced through her. Then he turned and walked briskly away before the music started up again.

"Wait!" she cried, struggling past the other pets as they began to dance once more. "Eliv!"

He kept on going until he was out the door, and out of sight. Vyry could feel the hot tears sting her eyes. "Come back…"

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The carriage driver looked up from his copy of the Neopian Times as Eliv Thade made his way out of the mansion. He could tell by the stony expression that the master carried that he was not happy.

But the Lupe did not ask why, for it was not unusual for the Kacheek to be irritated about one thing or another. Instead he got down from the driver's seat and opened the cabin door. Eliv climbed in and pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache began to form.

"Take me back to the castle," he said, his voice slightly strained.

The carriage driver nodded and closed the door before hopping back onto his seat. The Uni cast a glare over her shoulder at him as he cracked his whip, but began to trot off and then picked up her pace until she was at a nice, soft canter, pulling the carriage down the road, and into the gray forest of the Haunted Woods.

**Fin!**

So, whaddya think? Reviews would be greatly appreciated!


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